Gunnar met the pair at the gate as they sprinted down the road. Smoke had begun to rise from the direction of Baybreach, and everyone had seen the massive wall of water assault the city.

“What happened there?” Gunnar demanded, as Enzo struggled to catch his breath.

“Someone attacked during the festival,” Enzo panted. “No clue who it is, they came in three ships flying black flags. There’s a powerful mage with them, they created that massive wall of water and destroyed the outer walls of the city. The governor used Lazarus to keep the city from being wiped entirely and struck back at the attackers, but seemed to collapse after the second attack. The mage was headed inland when we left the city.”

“Gods above,” replied Gunnar. He raised his voice and called to the village. “ALL GUARDS TO THE BARRACKS AND PREPARE FOR ATTACK. CIVILIANS, TAKE COVER. IF YOU CAN STAND AND FIGHT, JOIN US!”

The village immediately erupted into motion. Guards sprinted from their homes and took up their arms. The elderly and the young gathered together in the center of the village with a smattering of possessions before being led by Manuel out into the mountains. Enzo dashed over to Cornelia’s home.

He pressed through the thick bushes and found the place barren. The ever-bountiful garden had returned to dirt and grass. The tree that served as her home, now stood as innocuous as any other ancient oak.

“Cornelia!” Enzo called out, but nothing made a sound. A chill had crept into the garden, and the soft breeze that Cornelia loved to speak through had disappeared. No trace of the aged elf remained.

She must have fled the moment she felt that Affinity user in the bay. He sprinted out of the garden and directly into Tobias’s workshop.

Inside, he found the old man donning his armor. An ancient sword hung from his belt, softly glowing runes pulsed at its hilt, and a deep black onyx gem radiated mana in its pommel. Tobias looked up as Enzo entered.

“I’ll not let them take Lazarus,” Tobias interjected before Enzo could object. “If anyone is taking that sword, it's me. What are we up against, son?”

Enzo let his objections die in his throat. He shook his head and cleared his thoughts before explaining the situation to Tobias.

“Ah, Regalius… He was a good man, but an old man. I’m sure he fought to his last breath…” Tobias said, sighing at the news. A stern determination glowed in the old man’s eyes. “We must assume they have Lazarus now, in addition to a water Affinity. A poor match for us, but we’ll make due. They don’t know we’re here, and that might just be the thing that turns this battle in our favor. Are you ready?”

Enzo drew his warhammer and collected a handful of charcoal into the pouch at his left hip. Power radiated from the large weapon, charged in the heat of the forge over the last few weeks. He took a sip of Cornelia’s infused fire whiskey, and felt the power of a Geschmolzen Red dragon pulse through him.

“Let’s go to war,” Enzo replied, and stepped back into the organized chaos of the defense of Starstone.

===========================================

Ana strode through the ruins of the city. Pockets of guards still resisted her men, but they would soon succumb to her raider’s might. Five hundred of the strongest men she could gather, and a titanic wall of water to crash through their defenses had done plenty to bring about the downfall of the city, but without Elisabeth, the entire plan would have failed. Ana smiled as she thought of her wickedly innocent sister.

The girl had worked her way into favor at the court a week prior, and had poisoned the governor’s meal the last few nights of the Winter Festival. Weakened, he barely had the strength to wield Lazarus.

The sword itself though… I was right to be cautious. A weapon that powerful on its own could’ve stopped my plans entirely in the right hands. She grinned.

Of course, in my hands, I can dominate this world.

Several peasants cowered in the corner as she waltzed through the wreckage of the guard’s barracks in the inner city.

Disgusting swine. How dare you look at me.

Ana snarled at them, and they shrank even further into the corner of the building. She reached out her hand and commanded the water in their bodies to immediately come to her aid. In moments, the people died as every drop of moisture left their bodies, leaving behind dried husks of bone and dust. She continued up the stairs to the walls of the inner city.

At the top of the crumbling staircase, Elisabeth waited for her. Ever sunny, even in the midst of a battle, Ana couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her sister.

“He’s just over there,” Elisabeth said, pointing to the far side of the wall. “I left him alive, though just barely. I figured you would want to finish things off and take the sword.”

“How very thoughtful of you!” Ana replied happily. “Though you know this artifact is yours. I know you didn’t get an Affinity, but I hope this makes up for it.”

Elisabeth happily embraced her sister. “Oh thank you! I did hope you’d say that, but I didn’t want to presume.”

“Anything for you,” Ana replied.

The pair strode over to the dying figure of Governor Regalius. Propped up against the wall, he held Lazarus tightly in his hands. Blood dripped from the corners of his mouth and he coughed heavily as he tried to speak.

“Who… do you… work for?” he managed to spit out as the two women approached him.

“Ourselves, old man,” Ana replied savagely as she ripped Lazarus from his hands. Regalius weakly reached for the sword, but Ana just laughed. “We’ll be taking this, and heading off to see what other treasures you have hidden here. Anything you’d like to tell us?”

“Ne…ver,” Regalius sputtered.

“Figured as much,” Ana retorted as she drove the sword through his chest. She withdrew the sword from the dead man and wiped his blood on his once-opulent cloak.

“Well then, are you ready to lead your first charge?” Ana said as she handed the blade to Elisabeth. “That little village Clive told us about is pretty close. Round up some men, and go test the sword out.”

“Sounds like fun!” Elisabeth replied, taking the sword from Ana. The pair descended the ramparts and began pulling together their forces. As the afternoon sun began to sink into the horizon, the warband of raiders set out for the small village of Starstone.